Alessandroni's Guitar Poetry and Milan Pilar's Pastoral Seasons

I bring you these in homage to the amazing finds at the growing bin and the other blogs that ressuscitate library records for our insatiable consumption. In fact two of the best of this genre appeared at the aforementioned address with these artists, Milan Pilar's "Nature Spoiled and Unspoiled" and Alessandroni's "Romance and Drama". Unfortunately these two today are not quite up to the same high standard, but how could we have known before buying and listening? That's the whole fun / terror to this endeavour.

The best tracks to me are the autumnal tracks from Milan Pilar, from Sept. to Nov., inevitably. But wait-- is it my melancholy disposition that leads me to this assessment? I should ask a positive optimistic listener their opinion, like our good friend Dave, if he would concur or instead remark, "too depressing" (or more likely say nothing). Rare indeed is the individual today who abides by the old saw "say nothing if you have nothing good to say." Rare, but to be treasured certainly. Although I agree on the superiority of spring meteorologically, I find myself estimating the number of days until the solstice when the days will begin to shorten. Like G. M. Hopkins, "the unleaving is what I mourn for." How can we be happy in a world with death? Knowing that everything will be taken away from us one day and the universe itself will sail on without us contentedly in its orbits and spheres for trillions more years to come? How could I ever say goodbye to my children? Anyways, October is definitely an inspirational month, there must be hundreds of songs out there with the same title, and few of them called June. My personal favourite is Milton Nascimento's Outubro with its completely unique chord changes and slow-moving melody from the beautiful country of Isabel.

Pilar's record features a few compositions from John Tender, which are definitely sub-par. Alessandroni's record is entirely composed and played by him on acoustic guitars, a very gentle lulling sound I must warn you is liable to put you to sleep if played late at night, its somniferous properties would undoubtedly beat out seconal and the old barbiturates downed with vodka or a highball, whatever the heck that is, and have your relatives calling 911 when they find you with a library record overdose.

It's pretty shocking how many of these were put out in the period, and equally surprising how much work composers put into some of these. I hope some of you out there will enjoy, perhaps even much more than I can.

Notice the same painter is responsible for both covers (W. Grefenius).


Sample songs:

Milan Pilar's October


November


Alessandroni's Tenderness